Beam-Size Invariant Spectropolarimeters Using Gap-Plasmon Metasurfaces

Metasurfaces enable exceptional control over the light with surface-confined planar components, offering the fascinating possibility of very dense integration and miniaturization in photonics. Here, we design, fabricate and experimentally demonstrate chip-size plasmonic spectropolarimeters for simultaneous polarization state and wavelength determination. Spectropolarimeters, consisting of three gap-plasmon phase-gradient metasurfaces that occupy 120{\deg} circular sectors each, diffract normally incident light to six predesigned directions, whose azimuthal angles are proportional to the light wavelength, while contrasts in the corresponding diffraction intensities provide a direct measure of the incident polarization state through retrieval of the associated Stokes parameters. The proof-of-concept 96-{\mu}m-diameter spectropolarimeter operating in the wavelength range of 750-950nm exhibits the expected polarization selectivity and high angular dispersion. Moreover, we show that, due to the circular-sector design, polarization analysis can be conducted for optical beams of different diameters without prior calibration, demonstrating thereby the beam-size invariant functionality. The proposed spectropolarimeters are compact, cost-effective, robust, and promise high-performance real-time polarization and spectral measurements

Analysis of interference to cable television due to mobile usage in the Digital Dividend

The start of use of mobile applications in the 800 MHz band, which forms part of the ‘Digital Dividend’, will cause interference to TV signals under certain conditions. The new mobile applications (called LTE, Long Term Evolution) use frequencies also used in cable TV networks. This report examines how much interference may occur when providing digital television over cable networks

Mitoxantrone and Analogues Bind and Stabilize i-Motif Forming DNA Sequences

YesThere are hundreds of ligands which can interact with G-quadruplex DNA, yet very few which target i-motif. To appreciate an understanding between the dynamics between these structures and how they can be affected by intervention with small molecule ligands, more i-motif binding compounds are required. Herein we describe how the drug mitoxantrone can bind, induce folding of and stabilise i-motif forming DNA sequences, even at physiological pH. Additionally, mitoxantrone was found to bind i-motif forming sequences preferentially over double helical DNA. We also describe the stabilisation properties of analogues of mitoxantrone. This offers a new family of ligands with potential for use in experiments into the structure and function of i-motif forming DNA sequences

Bounds and optimisation of orbital angular momentum bandwidths within parametric down-conversion systems

The measurement of high-dimensional entangled states of orbital angular momentum prepared by spontaneous parametric down-conversion can be considered in two separate stages: a generation stage and a detection stage. Given a certain number of generated modes, the number of measured modes is determined by the measurement apparatus. We derive a simple relationship between the generation and detection parameters and the number of measured entangled modes.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure

Shannon dimensionality of quantum channels and its application to photon entanglement

We introduce the concept of Shannon dimensionality D as a new way to quantify bipartite entanglement as measured in an experiment. This is applied to orbital-angular-momentum entanglement of two photons, using two state analyzers composed of a rotatable angular-sector phase plate that is lens-coupled to a single-mode fiber. We can deduce the value of D directly from the observed two-photon coincidence fringe. In our experiment, D varies between 2 and 6, depending on the experimental conditions. We predict how the Shannon dimensionality evolves when the number of angular sectors imprinted in the phase plate is increased and anticipate that D = 50 is experimentally within reach.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, accepted for Physical Review Letter

The dual-acting chemotherapeutic agent Alchemix induces cell death independently of ATM and p53

YesTopoisomerase inhibitors are in common use as chemotherapeutic agents although they can display reduced efficacy in chemotherapy-resistant tumours, which have inactivated DNA damage response (DDR) genes, such as ATM and TP53. Here, we characterise the cellular response to the dual-acting agent, Alchemix (ALX), which is a modified anthraquinone that functions as a topoisomerase inhibitor as well as an alkylating agent. We show that ALX induces a robust DDR at nano-molar concentrations and this is mediated primarily through ATR- and DNA-PK- but not ATM-dependent pathways, despite DNA double strand breaks being generated after prolonged exposure to the drug. Interestingly, exposure of epithelial tumour cell lines to ALX in vitro resulted in potent activation of the G2/M checkpoint, which after a prolonged arrest, was bypassed allowing cells to progress into mitosis where they ultimately died by mitotic catastrophe. We also observed effective killing of lymphoid tumour cell lines in vitro following exposure to ALX, although, in contrast, this tended to occur via activation of a p53-independent apoptotic pathway. Lastly, we validate the effectiveness of ALX as a chemotherapeutic agent in vivo by demonstrating its ability to cause a significant reduction in tumour cell growth, irrespective of TP53 status, using a mouse leukaemia xenograft model. Taken together, these data demonstrate that ALX, through its dual action as an alkylating agent and topoisomerase inhibitor, represents a novel anti-cancer agent that could be potentially used clinically to treat refractory or relapsed tumours, particularly those harbouring mutations in DDR genes

Onderzoek naar storing op kabeltelevisie door mobiel gebruik in het Digitaal Dividend

De introductie van het gebruik van mobiele toepassingen in de 800 MHz band, die onderdeel vormt van het zogenaamde digitaal dividend, leidt onder bepaalde omstandigheden tot een verstoring van tv-signalen. De nieuwe (LTE) mobiele toepassingen gebruiken frequenties die ook worden toegepast in kabel-tv-netwerken. Dit rapport gaat in op de mate waarin deze storing kan plaatsvinden in het (digitale) televisie aanbod van de kabel.\u

The dual-acting chemotherapeutic agent Alchemix induces cell death independently of ATM and p53

YesTopoisomerase inhibitors are in common use as chemotherapeutic agents although they can display reduced efficacy in chemotherapy-resistant tumours, which have inactivated DNA damage response (DDR) genes, such as ATM and TP53. Here, we characterise the cellular response to the dual-acting agent, Alchemix (ALX), which is a modified anthraquinone that functions as a topoisomerase inhibitor as well as an alkylating agent. We show that ALX induces a robust DDR at nano-molar concentrations and this is mediated primarily through ATR- and DNA-PK- but not ATM-dependent pathways, despite DNA double strand breaks being generated after prolonged exposure to the drug. Interestingly, exposure of epithelial tumour cell lines to ALX in vitro resulted in potent activation of the G2/M checkpoint, which after a prolonged arrest, was bypassed allowing cells to progress into mitosis where they ultimately died by mitotic catastrophe. We also observed effective killing of lymphoid tumour cell lines in vitro following exposure to ALX, although, in contrast, this tended to occur via activation of a p53-independent apoptotic pathway. Lastly, we validate the effectiveness of ALX as a chemotherapeutic agent in vivo by demonstrating its ability to cause a significant reduction in tumour cell growth, irrespective of TP53 status, using a mouse leukaemia xenograft model. Taken together, these data demonstrate that ALX, through its dual action as an alkylating agent and topoisomerase inhibitor, represents a novel anti-cancer agent that could be potentially used clinically to treat refractory or relapsed tumours, particularly those harbouring mutations in DDR genes

Metamaterial Polarization Converter Analysis: Limits of Performance

In this paper we analyze the theoretical limits of a metamaterial converter that allows for linear-to- elliptical polarization transformation with any desired ellipticity and ellipse orientation. We employ the transmission line approach providing a needed level of the design generalization. Our analysis reveals that the maximal conversion efficiency for transmission through a single metamaterial layer is 50%, while the realistic re ection configuration can give the conversion efficiency up to 90%. We show that a double layer transmission converter and a single layer with a ground plane can have 100% polarization conversion efficiency. We tested our conclusions numerically reaching the designated limits of efficiency using a simple metamaterial design. Our general analysis provides useful guidelines for the metamaterial polarization converter design for virtually any frequency range of the electromagnetic waves.Comment: 10 pages, 11 figures, 2 table